Admission
- Selective Major
- Selective Major Application and Filing Deadlines
- Transfer Major Preparation
Selective Major Application and Filing Deadlines
Beginning with the future Summer 2025 application cycle, non-biology major students will be able to apply to a biology major once per year (between Summer and Fall). Note that space will be limited and acceptance to a biology major is not guaranteed.
Current Biology majors should not submit a Selective Major Application; you will want to follow the change of major process on the Selective Major page.
- If you are a non-biology major who started UC San Diego as a freshman and are within your first six quarters at UC San Diego, you may apply for consideration of admission into any of the biology majors that the Division offers during an active application cycle.
- Do not use Tritonlink to request a change of major. You will need to apply through the Selective Major Application process.
- Before submitting an application, please ensure you have reviewed all Selective Major Admission Criteria.
- Submit your application once the application opens. Day and time of application submission will be considered when making admission offers.
- Current quarter grades will be taken into consideration for the applicable application cycle (e.g. fall grades will be considered for the fall application).
- Applications will be reviewed after the application cycle closes and term grades have been finalized.
- Once all applications have been reviewed, applicants will be notified of the outcome via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC).
- If offered admission, you will need to accept the offer by using the link within the VAC acceptance message. You must complete all steps within the acceptance process, by the specified deadline, in order to successfully change your major.
- Students are expected to be aware of the below timelines and deadlines, and to check their @ucsd.edu email account regularly. If offered admission, failure to take action by the specified date and time will result in a rescinded offer.
| Event | FA23 | WI24 | SP24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application opens to students | 11/27/2023 12:00 a.m. | 3/4/2024 12:00 a.m. | 5/27/2024 12:00 a.m. |
| Application closes to students | 12/8/2023 11:59 p.m. | 3/15/2024 11:59 p.m. | 6/7/2024 11:59 p.m. |
| Quarter-by-quarter plan due to department (if required) | 12/8/2023 11:59 p.m. | 3/15/2024 11:59 p.m. | 6/7/2024 11:59 p.m. |
| Decisions messaged via the VAC (Approved or Denied) | 1/8/2024 - 1/12/2024 | 4/1/2024 - 4/5/2024 | 6/24/2024 - 6/28/2024 |
|
Students deadline to Accept Admission Offer Admission offer will be rescinded if acceptance is not received by the deadline |
1/19/2024 11:59 p.m. | 4/12/2024 11:59 p.m. | 7/5/2024 11:59 p.m. |
In 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23 the School received an average of 100 applications per quarterly cycle and was able to offer admission to all applicants who met Selective Major admission criteria. While students can use this information to estimate chances of being admitted, meeting all eligibility criteria does not guarantee admission. Admission outcomes (e.g. the number of applicants, available seats, etc.) can change each quarterly application cycle.